California SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Crisis Care Guidelines

Recommendation to El Centro Regional Medical Center and Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Boards: Adopt CDPH guidance as such and allow Medical Executive Committees as well as day-to-day clinical operations to move forward informed by the guidance but not enforced by policy or procedure.

All hospitals have been directed by the California Department of Public Health to adopt “Crisis Care Continuum Guidelines” at our organizations. The state of California is asking that we develop and adopt our own set of guidelines or adopt the State of California guidelines also known as California SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Crisis Care Guidelines by January 6, 2021.

Both hospitals have collaborated with Imperial County Public Health officials over the past seven months attempting to develop Crisis Care Guidelines for Imperial County. San Diego County, in a collaborative discussion with highest levels of physician leadership at hospitals as well as San Diego County Public Health, and has recently announced they could not come to agreement on a unique set of Crisis Care Continuum Guidelines for San Diego County. They then announced that San Diego County will adopt the California Crisis Care Continuum Guidelines.

There is no arguing that these are times never seen before in our generation. The emergency rooms are packed and there is no place to transfer patients as every hospital in the country is experiencing this surge. Resources are running short, despite the monumental efforts by EMSA and many others. Difficult decisions will need to be made by attending physicians at an increasing rate. These decisions will be guided by the Crisis Care Continuum Guidelines. Click here to read about the California SARS-CoV-2 Crisis Care Guidelines.